I know...I know ! Dra-goon really should update more often > ! Well...swim season is near its end so I'll probably be able to post the last three chapters pretty quickly . OK, enough of my sorry excuses, and let's begin...

Chapter 10

The day was like any other day. Everything went through the motions for the first half the day. Nothing out of the ordinary for most of the day. Once the clock struck four, things began to heat up, as one may have said. Lyserg put of his favorite shirt, his white button-up tux. Macchi threw on a pink tee. Lyserg put on his khaki slacks. Macchi put on some of the jeans, just some random, nothing special about them.

Lyserg made sure his hair was just right. Wetting it down and putting it back in place. Macchi pulled out a cosmetic kit that she "borrowed" without permission from Pilica. She put on some dark blue eyeliner, a bit of blush, and crimson red lipstick. Lyserg threw on his plaid overcoat and fasten his red bow tie. Macchi threw a necklace on and clipped an earring on. Lyserg gave one last sigh and he looked at himself in the mirror.

"Go get um!" Morphine cheered him. Lyserg smiled and petted his fairy.

"Thanks." Lyserg replied smiling, but his hand continued to tremble with fear.

Macchi looked at herself in the mirror. Something didn't feel right. It was just ONE thing! ONE blasted little thing that made everything wrong in some way.

"Ugh! What do I need Jack!" She asked her doll.

The doll remained silent, still giving its ghoulish grin.

"You don't say? You think that's what I need?" Macchi said. She pulled out her scurries and let her hair fall down. She had never seen herself with her hair down since she was revived. It went down her neck and touched her back. She didn't mind it, but it was a tad to loose. Better forthe laterbedroom scene, but not now.

Not to mention she looked like a Tamao clone. She put the scurries back in and made a ponytail. She thought that was better. She thought it made her look older and mature. She smiled and went out the door.

Lyserg was waiting by the pond. He looked down at that small pond. He heard Tamao talk about it a long time ago.

'Every time I look into this pool, I think of the hundreds of other shaman who looked down in this pool during there training. And sometimes…I'll ask for their courage to help me through. Do you have anything like that to you, Lyserg?' Lyserg recalled what she said.

So many people have had their fate with this pond. It could had been a spot where someone decided to take a dip, where fish made their home, when a shaman proposed to another, when someone just wanted to sit down and stare into the endless web and flow. Lyserg heard the door open and turned around to see whom it was.

The girl had longorange hair in a ponytail. She had on a pink tee and some jeans along with a necklace. Not to mention she had way too much make-up for Lyserg.

"Hey, Lyserg." The girl said. Lyserg just stared at this strange, beautiful girl.

"Um…do I know you?" Lyserg asked. The girl slapped him across the face, pretty hard I might add.

"Um…it's me, Macchi! Doofus!" Macchi yelled at him. Lyserg was in shock.

"Wow! Macchi…you look absolutely…beautiful." Lyserg said. Macchi blushed slightly, the first time she had ever blushed in front of Lyserg.

"Oh…thanks." Macchi said, stillblushing. She looked away tosee the main entrance. Hao was standing there waiting for her. "Well…gotta go!" Macchi beamed. She ran over to Hao, grabbing his arm and dragging out the main entrance. Lyserg sighed as he saw Macchi run off. He just hoped nothing horrible would happen. He felt a hand grip his shoulder.

"So, you ready?" Tamao asked him. Lyserg fretted and moved away.

"Um…y-yeah." Lyserg stuttered. Tamao giggled and sat down.

"Come on sit down." Tamao said. Lyserg obeyed as an obedient dog. "So where should we start?" Tamao asked. Lyserg continued to blush. Tamao continued to smile and softly put her hand on his. Lyserg could feel his hand freeze. "Come on, Lyserg." Tamao whined. "This isn't much of a date." Lyserg jumped.

"T-t-t-this is a d-d-d-date?" Lyserg shrieked. Tamao giggled again.

"No, but I know youwant to talk to me, and I want to talk to you." Tamao said. Lyserg calmed down and sighed.

"Ok…that sounds easy." Lyserg said. He looked at Tamao and smirked. "So how's the wedding going?" He asked her.

Macchi continued to pull Hao deeper and deeper into the forest.

"Macchi, where are you taking me?" Hao asked. Macchi continued to run like she didn't even hear him. She stopped right in front of the lake. Hao was in complete awe. "How did you find this place!" Hao asked. Macchi shrugged.

"I dunno, I went for a walk one today and poof! Here it is." Macchi beamed with energy. She pulled Hao down to the water. "Listen, I know we haven't talked a lot…" Macchi said, "But I want to know who I was." Macchi asked. Hao sat down on the rock and threw a stone.

"You are Macchi, what more do you want to know?" Hao said. Macchi squeezed her arms together.

"Hao, I know I wasn't like this. Tell me how I really was." Macchi asked again. Hao sighed. He really didn't want to tell her, it was too painful.

"You were part of the Hanagumi, along with Kanna Bismarch and Marion Phauna. You acted as an assassination squad and battled the X-laws. You killed one of the X-laws, Meene…I forgot her last name." Hao said. He put his hand on his head. "You then were then smashed to death by Peyote." Hao said. A slight tear rolled down his face.

"I knew that Peyote had something against me!" Macchi said smacking her fist. Hao looked at Macchi and smiled.

"But you haven't changed as a person. You're still hyper and full of energy." Hao smiled. Macchi smiled back. His smile quickly turned back to frown.

"So how did you revive me?" Macchi then asked, the question had puzzled her ever since she first awoke. Hao continued to frown. He threw another stone out on the lake. Macchi was becoming concerned. Hao acted liked this oncebefore. "Hao…what's wrong." Macchi asked.

"I didn't revive you." Hao murmured. Macchi sat up straight a bit more.

"What?"

"I…didn't revive you." Hao said. Macchi was shocked, more in shock on how she was alive.

"What do you mean? You were the only one who could have. Hao…" Macchi said. Hao continued to stare into the endless water. Macchi was beginning to think he was telling the truth. "Then who did?" Macchi asked. Hao sighed again.

"The Hanagumi…" Hao said.

"Really? Well I'm on book five right now." Tamao said. "Just imagine if Harry Potter was real." Tamao then giggled. Lyserg laughed lightly as well. "Wow…I never there was that much to you." Tamao continued to talk. Lyserg just nodded trying to avoid talking as much as he could.

"Um…yeah…you never know." Lyserg stuttered. He really wished he practiced more with Macchi. At least he could talk to her. Lyserg looked at his little note and the lines written on it. "Hey Tamao…c-c-can I tell you somet-t-thing." Lyserg stuttered once again. He glanced at his notes.

"Sure, what is it?" Tamao asked. Lyserg had sweat drops the size of quarters coming down his face.

"Um…you won't get mad at me..w-w-will you?" Lyserg stuttered once again. He squinted his eyes. 'Come on Lyserg! You have to pull through this!' He yelled in his mind.

"It wouldn't happen to be something you wanted to say to me Thursday…is it…" Tamao said and gasped. Lyserg was surprised she knew about that. "Oh…gomen nasai. Really, I eavesdropped on your thoughts. I'm really sorry.' Tamao apologized. Lyserg was still wondering what 'Gomen Nasai' meant. He was a bit rusty on his Japanese.

"Goman nasi? What's that?" Lyserg asked.

"No, gomen nasai. It means 'I'm sorry.'" Tamao explained. Lyserg nodded and glanced back down at his notes. Tamao grabbed the note and threw it in the water. "Look, I don't care what you're going to say, I'll still be your friend." Tamao said. There was a slight bit of concern in her eyes. Lyserg gulped and wiped his forehead.

"Ok…Tamao…I think I…I love you." Lyserg said pausing a few times. Tamao nodded.

"I thought so." Tamao answered in a meek voice. Lyserg jumped back freaked.

"You thought so?" He panicked. Tamao nodded and looked into his eyes.

"Well…truth is, Lyserg I love you too." Tamao said. Lyserg could feel his body temperature rise.

'Oh my god! This is it Lyserg.' He thought.

"Well…not like the way with Hao…" Tamao took back. Lyserg gave a huge sigh of relief. It was loud enough that Tamao heard it. "See, even since you took me on the date to that park…well I began to think about you more." Tamao said.

"You…you considered that a date?" Lyserg asked.

"Yeah, you were the first person to take me on one." Tamao answered. Lyserg nodded. He didn't know he left that big of an impact on her. "But…when I met Hao…everything changed. I feel into a deep love with him. At first it was simple visits at a café shop, then dates, then one night he proposed to me. He's a part of me like I'm a part of him. I can't imagine what I be like if I lost him." Tamao said. Halfway through she began to cry.

The last sentence rang in Lyserg's head. Faust said the same thing back in London. Lyserg began to think of Macchi and her plan when they first thought of it. This is why he didn't want to break Tamao and Hao. Tamao wiped away a tear on her right eye. "I'm sorry about that, I just don't want to think about things like that." Tamao muffled. She looked back at Lyserg and smiled weakly. "Can I ask you something?" Tamao asked.

"Um…sure." Lyserg answered and shrugged. He figured it be the best way to repay Tamao.

"What if things…were different? Like we were engaged? Would you…well…you know what I mean." Tamao said. Lyserg sat there and thought. What if things were different? What if his parents were still alive? Would he be where he is now? Would he have met the X-laws? What if Hao never existed! That would have made life easier Lyserg thought. But he then though about what if he was with Tamao.

"Yes, I would." Lyserg said. Tamao blushed.

"Oh my…" Tamao muttered. She continued to blush and she hugged Lyserg, which was quite a surprise to him. "Thank you! I never heard that from anyone…well…anyone but Hao." Tamao cried again. Lyserg accepted the hug and put her arms around her. "Before then I thought no one cared about me. I thought I was alone…" Tamao continued to cry.

Lyserg began to recall his own childhood. He was more like Tamao than he ever thought he was. He could remember the nights he sat there crying in his bed, wondering if anyone cared about the little crying boy. He had Morphine with him so that helped him through. Tamao wiped away another tear and returned to her original position. "I'm sorry about…It's just…" Tamao stuttered. Then Lyserg put his hand on her shoulder. She stopped when she left it there. Lyserg was looking at her concerned for her.

"Hey, no problem." He said. Tamao smiled and leaned back on the grass. Lyserg leaned back and looked at the countless starts. Literally the countless stars. There were big ones, yellow ones, white ones, red ones, small ones, bright ones, and dim ones. He turned his head toward Tamao. She too was looking at the stars.

"So Lyserg, are you really in love with me, or is there another?" Tamao asked still looking at the stars.

"Yeah…Macchi." Lyserg said without hesitation. Tamao turned over facing toward Lyserg.

"Really? So why do love her?" Tamao asked. Lyserg was surprised she didn't say 'What! Her! That she-devil!', but she was engaged with Hao, the one person he recalled as both of their worst enemies.

"I…I really don't know. I just do. I just like being around her." Lyserg answered. He never thought about why about he did. It just seemed to all happen in one day. Tamao nodded and smiled.

"Your reasons are very unselfish, just like mine with Hao." Tamao said almost hinting what she was suggesting. Lyserg got up and looked at the forest.

"Tamao…I'm sorry I have to cut this…date short, but I need to tell Macchi something." Lyserg said determined. He began to get up, but Tamao held him to the ground. He wondered what she wanted to tell him.

"Lyserg…good luck and be yourself." Tamao said. Lyserg nodded and ran out the main entrance into the forest. Tamao smiled as she saw Lyserg pursing his own dreams. Tamao leaned back and simply stared into the stars, hoping they could tell her what would happen next.